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Press Conferences: Hold a well-publicized press conference at which the individual reporters and the local community partner explain the proj-ect and answers questions. Highlighting the project in this way will encourage other media to publish stories about the project, which will hone interest in the series. It is also a constructive way to provide re-porters with a public forum to describe in their own words what the project meant to them and their communities. Bring a translator as needed to this and the subsequently listed events to interpret your comments into the local language. Radio Talk Show with Reader Call-In: In the United States and many other countries, talk radio is more popular than ever and attracts many listeners. Arrange booking for your journalism team and on-site part-ner on a local radio talk show with a popular host. Encourage listeners to call in with comments and ideas. TV Talk Show With Audience Participation: Arrange bookings on a talk show on local cable TV station or a network or public television affili-ate. Many cities now feature local versions of "Meet the Press" and "Washington Week in Review" on which pundits discuss pressing is-sues in the community. Pitch the series as a timely, groundbreaking project that seeks to reduce simmering tensions by forging bonds across racial, cultural, and ethnic lines. Public Forum: Use contacts and resources provided by your local part-ner to arrange for a town-hall meeting at a school, church, or commu-nity center at which the collaborative reporting team, the local partner, and members of the public can discuss the series, its impact, and ideas for future collaborations. 1. Spin off stories at individual publications: During the team reporting project, the more ambitious journalists probably stumbled across sto-ries outside the scope of the initial series. They may want to pursue those leads for their own papers in the weeks and months to come. En-courage and discuss follow-up stories. 2. Spin-off stories involving collaboration between publications that partici-pated in the original series: By now, some of the reporters may want to pursue additional joint investigations. This scenario occurred in Mace-donia: two newspaper reporters collaborated on a fascinating story of drug addiction among alienated Macedonian and Albanian youth. Outraged by the widespread problems they found, the Albanian and Macedonian journalists proposed to their respective editors that the two papers join forces to investigate drug smuggling in their country that could be published in both the Macedonian and Albanian language press. 3. A journalism round-table: Organize a round-table discussion in newsrooms or press clubs in your community at which participants in the series can describe the project to other journalists, answer questions, and float ideas for future stories, series, or inter-ethnic media collaborations. 4. Mentoring: Start a journalism mentoring program in which the origi-nal team members work with a second generation of reporters on an-other collaborative multi-ethnic media project. The program can be re-peated with a third group of journalists. This will ensure that the proj-ect expands and evolves. 5. Reporter Swaps: Two (or more) journalists from the ethnic or com-munity press could spend a week working at one another's publica-tions. This will expose the journalists to reporters from other cultures and ethnicities and build goodwill and contacts among the participat-ing media. 6. Citizen Panel: Based on reader feedback, radio and talk show re-sponse, and community forums, assemble a panel of citizens repre-senting different ethnic, religious, and racial groups who can advise the newspapers and the local partner on ideas they would like to see addressed in future collaborations. This suggestion embraces the pub-lic/civic journalism model that considers feedback from the commu-nity an integral part of good journalism today. 7. Multi-Ethnic Journalists Club: With support from local ethnic and mainstream presses, form a multi-ethnic journalists club that could be-come a central clearinghouse for reporters from all ethnic, community, and mainstream media. This club would fill a niche that is sorely lacking today. While many cities have long-standing mainstream jour-nalism fraternities, specialized ethnic media associations, and overseas press clubs for foreign journalists, there is little interaction among the different groups. This can lead to a Balkanization of the media. A multi-ethnic journalism club would allow reporters from disparate media to socialize and discuss issues that cross all ethnic, racial, and religious lines and are important to everyone in the community.
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